Princess Diana’s Bombshell BBC Interview in 1995 Left Son William, Then 13, ‘Angry and Incredulous’

It’s been 30 years since the late Princess Diana sat down with journalist Martin Bashir to candidly discuss her relationship with King Charles III, leaving everyone — including her own son, Prince William — in shock.

At the time of the interview — which was broadcast November 20, 1995, on BBC1 — Charles and Diana’s elder son was 13 years old and was said to be in a “fragile state,” according to a retrospective published Wednesday, November 19, by the Daily Mail.

William (now the Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the British throne) watched the interview in housemaster Dr. Andrew Gailey’s office and, per historian Robert Lacey’s book Battle of Brothers, was found “slumped on the sofa” with his “eyes red with tears.”

In the interview, Diana spoke openly about her mental health, marriage and experiences with self-harm. In regards to Charles’ relationship with now-wife Queen Camilla, she famously told Bashir, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

According to the Daily Mail, royal biographer Tina Brown wrote in the book The Palace Papers that Queen Elizabeth II had even told someone she feared William “might have a nervous breakdown” amid the interview’s aftermath.

After watching Diana reveal such private and intimate details about her life, William was “angry and incredulous,” according to royal biographer Penny Junor, who has penned books on multiple members of the royal family.

A day after the interview aired, William allegedly told a classmate that he was “overcome with a feeling of dread” when he saw his mother on screen.

His brother, Prince Harry, reportedly did not watch the interview at the time.

One month after the interview aired, Elizabeth advised Charles and Diana to divorce. The couple agreed to the terms of their divorce in July 1996, and the divorce was finalized that August.

Diana died in a car crash in Paris a year later at the age of 36.